People here have told me that the currents often change, so that the salt water is sometimes closer to the coast, and sometimes farther away. Either way, the beaches in Montevideo are freshwater, and the water is fairly brown and murky, so I don’t think I’ll be swimming there any time soon! I still enjoy walking on the beach, though. That's one reason I love weekend trips to Montevideo.
The land lends itself easily to farming and raising cattle. For example, Salto is known for cultivating oranges, and other parts of the country grow grapes for wine. Also, many people have told me that there are far more cows in Uruguay than people!
The climate is generally humid. Summers are very hot and winters are only mildly cold. However, most people do not have air conditioning or central heating in their houses, so the temperatures can feel extreme in both seasons. Many people talk about how unbearable the heat is here. A student here even told me that elderly people sometimes die from heat-related heath problems, and that horses and other farm animals die from the heat too. On the other hand, with rainy winter temperatures in the 40s and 50s, it can feel chilly in a house without any heating!
As summer temperatures have gotten steadily hotter and more unbearable with climate change, many people have invested in air conditioners, even though they are expensive.
